This is a cute, grammatically intense, instructional children's book that teaches (very clearly) what a participle is, how it should be used and what changes in the meaning of the sentence when it is misplaced. The illustrations are the star of this show. They pair seamlessly with the text, showing how incorrect usage can lead to unintended, though highly comical, results.

The beginning is a bit clinical/technical, possibly making it difficult for a young one to absorb, so much so that I believe it would present a challenge even for my precocious 8 year old. My daughter would most likely be on the younger end of the targetted demographic but what she might lack in understanding I hope she will make up with appreciation for the silliness. Cute pictures aside, the lesson could very well go over her head and that would be a shame but who knows...let's see.

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After sitting down and finally reading this through with my self-proclaimed "Book Warrior", my initial prediction was pretty spot on. She found the beginning to be too long BUT after we got through the principal idea on the first pages, she started to become more invested. SO onward to the good bits we went. The silly illustrations convey succinctly what improper placement of the participle actually means. By the end my kiddo did grasp the concept, though just how well? We'll have to see. I must admit that she was happy to finally reach the last page because "the pictures were great but there were TOO many examples and I was kind of bored by the end".

Overall it was a really cool idea, in my opinion. It was a well thought out informative grammar lesson that I myself enjoyed but my young reader, who the pictures and silliness suggest it is intended for, was (to put it nicely) not overly impressed. It helped me identify what I possibly do wrong at times but my daughter...she'd rather go back to reading chapter books with some action. I asked her what her overall feeling for the book was and I was rewarded with a big sigh and an even bigger "MEH".

It was a tough decision as to how to rate this book since the verdict was split. I really enjoyed it and my daughter, well...did not BUT her appreciation, ability to grasp the concept and the amount of fun she had while reading it were all taken into consideration with regards to the rating.

Those are my two cents, I hope they help.

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***